What Comes After
by Raijinshuu.jpg
Summary: Lucy wished for a better life, maybe she'd be a pirate? Free to do as she pleases on the open ocean, a place she loves more than land. That thought quickly changes as her life is ripped to pieces in mere minutes. All she can do now is use this given chance to take revenge on the pirates that ruined her life. That changes though, when she meets a unique crew of pirates.
1. Teaser

Death is always described as being soft, warm and welcoming; a comfort that eases away all the fears you have about leaving life behind. You hear stories of people dying, but then living and telling of their encounter with death. For some reason I'd never believed them, I never believed that death was something that could be _comforting_. No amount of science could convince me. My logic being: how could one let the feeling of life ebb away without feeling scared of what was to come, _if_ there was anything after. Maybe people claimed it's calming because they believed they knew what was coming for them. To someone who doesn't believe, someone who can't find a grip in the mountain that is religion…death is terrifying.

All I could think of as I sunk further into the ocean that night was "What if there_ is_ something after death? What if religion is right, and there's a God in the cosmos waiting to judge my soul and grant me access to Heaven or send me into the fiery depths described as Hell?" Never mind the wonder of if there's _nothing_, I would have been fine if I just stopped existing but I was more scared of there being _something_. To have to face judgement, and then exist forever – even if it's just my conscience – is terrifying.

I don't remember when I stopped thinking; I don't remember when the fight to survive left me and my body went slack. I don't remember when the light of the fire glimmering off the surface of the ocean disappeared from my line of sight. I do remember though, the short moment of peace I felt before my vision started to blur and I breathed in the salty water; the way the ocean seemed so still around me, the darkness. It was the darkness that made me realize I was going to die, the panic set in and my first instinct was to inhale air but all I got was water. I will never forget the amount of fear I felt as I couldn't move my broken body to save myself, it was traumatizing. I dream about it nearly every night. They all say it will one day stop, and I'll be able to sleep normal again. They all say they went through it, they all experienced the same fear as I did but they are fine now. I won't believe them until I experience it for myself.


	2. Life

Lucy stared out over the ocean, hand over her squinted eyes as the sun reflected off the ocean's surface. Inhaling deeply, she revelled in the fresh, salty air; the sound of gulls screaming overhead. The truth was, she loved being on the open sea. The feeling of freedom consumed her, but she knew it would all be over much too soon. Her father's ship would dock, and along with him and her mother, she'd be escorted by armed guards back to the house on the top of the hill. The one her parents called home, but she called prison. Many girls in the town her father governed would be ecstatic to live in such an estate, and to have their every need catered to by a seemingly never-ending stream of servants. It was too stifling for Lucy; she felt stunted. If she had it her way, she would be a pirate. Free to roam the oceans as she pleased, with no one telling her what she could and couldn't do.

Her eyes were closed, hands now resting on the ships railing. The wind was strong today, pieces of her hair whipped around her face having been wrenched free from the stiff up-do "recommended" simply by her social status as Governor's daughter. Yeah, that's all she was to the small world she was born into – and she hated it. There was shouting in the background, but she paid no mind as she continued to let the wind caress her. Words were incoherent as the steadily growing wind ripped the sound away from her, and she knew not of the warnings they heeded.

She was wrenched from her daze when there was an explosion behind her, more shouting. Fear struck her heart as she turned around and was met with splintered wood flying in all directions as another canon fired at their ship. She screamed as she ducked down, hands over her head hoping to protect herself from the flying pieces of glass and wood. As soon as it passed, she lifted her head to find the dirty, cracked leather boots of someone who was not from the captain's crew, standing in front of her. Looking up, she found a horrid, nearly-toothless grin, surrounded by smelly unwashed beard. She screamed again, and fell backwards as she dodged the greasy hand trying to grab for her.

"Hold still, girly," the horrid stench of the man's breath sent her shuffling back even further, "I'm sure the cap'n would love a fine wench like you,"

More panic and fear, and she reached behind her hoping to find something useful to defend herself. Quickly her hand fell on a broken piece of what might have been railing, and using all her might she flung forwards with it and managed to dig it deep into the man's arm. Barely hearing the pained grunt of the pirate, she dashed forwards, hoping desperately the captain's quarters were clear. She dodged swinging swords and gunfire and more projectile wood, her breathing being the loudest noise to her.

When she finally reached the cabin doors she flung them open, and quickly shut them behind her before grabbing a candlestick and shoving it through the handles; hoping desperately it would keep the doors secure.

"Milady, thank goodness you are safe," a figure shifted from the far side of the bed and rushed towards her, "Do you know where your father and mother are?"

"No, Parsons I haven't seen them," worry filled her as the butler leaned towards the fogged glass in the door, as though he was trying to see through it. If her parents weren't here, were they still below deck?

"May I suggest we head for the back of the room, Milady? The less chance the pirates have of seeing shadow -" before he could finish, a hand punched through the glass and grabbed Parsons by the head before pulling him through to his shoulders.

Again, Lucy screamed, unable to hold back her sounds of terror as his body thumped to the floor a moment later, headless. Picking herself up off the floor, she ran to the back of the cabin before throwing open the doors, revealing a private balcony – just as two pirates stormed into the room, laughing as they kicked the body out of the way. Tears streaked down Lucy's cheeks as she turned from the sight of the headless body. Almost immediately, the pirates spotted her outside, and headed straight for her; swords darkened by the blood of the crew, guns loaded and ready to fire.

All time around her seemed to slow as she closed her eyes, the sound of the canons still firing became mute, voices of men yelling all gone, the footsteps of the two pirates nearing her non-existent. She didn't want to die this way, she wanted to finish growing up, have children – even if it was to some man she didn't love, it sounded better than dying now – grow old, and die peacefully. More sobs wracked her body as she opened her eyes, finding them coming closer still. Not even minutes ago, she had been leaning on the starboard beam, watching the ocean pass by her as she relaxed in the wind. Had she truly thought she wanted to be a pirate? Maybe not these pirates, not like this, she would have been a pirate in the loosest of terms; someone who simply sailed the ocean for fun and did not follow the strict laws her country tried to place on men. No, pirate meant to rob, plunder, steal, and attack. Just as these men were doing.

More tears slipped down her cheek, as she decided then that she did not want to die by these men. If she was going to die then, it was going to be on her terms. Turning from the men almost upon her, she quickly kicked off her shoes and climbed onto the railing, before taking the plunge into the dark, cold sea riddled with debris below her.

She could hear the men yelling, startled but only for a split second before again, she lost all hearing, this time to the ocean surrounding her. Moments later she resurfaced, sputtering as the salt invaded her mouth and nose. Her dress was heavy, too heavy. _Damn these stupid dresses_, Lucy thought as she struggled to breathe in the corset that was now soaked with water, making the material tighter around her ribs. All the layers of clothing, meant to make her look "beautiful", now worked against her in the ocean, trying hard to drag her down to the dark depths below. There was an ear deafening explosion behind her, and she turned to see the entire ship gulfed in flames.

"NO!" she tried calling out, but a wave of water rushed into her mouth at the same moment, causing her to sputter more. Despair filled her as she watched the ship begin to crumble. She doubted there were any survivors, meaning her parents… _her parents_. She didn't even see them today, she had awoken late and was told they were in a meeting below deck. Now they were probably dead, if the pirates didn't kill them, the fire or ocean would any time.

She struggled to stay afloat, most of her remaining energy going to sobbing over the knowledge she'd never see them again. Even if they miraculously survived, she wouldn't. The cold water was making her limbs numb and sapping whatever energy she wasn't using for crying. Eventually, she took one last deep breath before she sunk below the ocean's surface. The sound of the fire crackling on the ship above travelled through the water, though slightly muted, but it didn't bother her.

The lower she sank, the lower her spirits dropped and eventually she knew it. She was going to die. Everything was numb, all her senses, her thoughts even, as she just continued to sink; there was no fight left in her body as she stared at the fading orange light on the water's surface. As it got further away, so did her own mind. Until eventually, there was nothing. It was then, when the light of the fire was nearly gone that she truly started to panic. Bubbles escaped her mouth and nose as she let out an unheard scream, and she inhaled, ready to scream again but all she got was two lungs full of stinging, salt water. It felt as though her body broke right then, the lack of oxygen inhaled causing her body to freeze for a split second, before she reflexively inhaled again. More bubbles escaped as a pocket of air was pushed out of her lungs, her limbs thrashed as wildly as they could in the water, numb and surrounded by heavy materials. After a few moments, her body began to slow its movements, and she could no longer focus on trying to survive. As she continued to float down, her consciousness began to drift in an out, until eventually she had no idea where she was.

The feeling of warmth enveloped her, and she felt as though she was back at home, on land, in her bed. She awaited the maids to come and wake her like they always did, but nothing happened. She opened her eyes and found darkness, _oh well_, and she closed them again, but not before she thought she felt something brush past her. _It's nothing, I'll just go back to sleep and await morning_. She felt herself breathe deeply, reflexively but there was nothing.

A soft humming began to sound around her, it was soothing as it seemed to caress her frozen cheeks, down her neck and then across her whole body. It became louder, and louder until eventually it was thrumming throughher entire body. She had no idea what it could be, and she tried to ignore it. Wishing desperately she could go back to sleep, for she knew if she stayed up later she would be grumpy in the morning.

"Do you want to live?" a voice sounded through the humming, as though spoken directly to her brain.

_What kind of weird dream is this_? _Of course I want to live, what kind of question is that?_ Seriously, she had to stop having such weird dreams.

"Of course, who would want to die?" The voice was oddly pleasant, reminding her of her mother. Yet somehow, oddly sarcastic.

As if to prove the point of sarcasm, the voice giggled lightly and was followed by an echo of giggles.

Lucy was thoroughly confused, maybe she should just wake up again. Opening her eyes she was met with pitch darkness. _There's no way it can't be morning yet, and how is it this dark out? Is there no moon, or lit streetlamps in the town not far below?_

"This is not a dream. Remember? 10 minutes ago you were on your ship, 7 you were in the water, 5 you gave up living," the words broke through Lucy's drowned daze for a split second, but long enough for her to realize how fake the pleasant voice sounded. "Now I will ask you again, do you want to live?"

_Of course I want to live, I'd give anything to live._

"Anything?" the voice mused, "Even your humanity?"

The fog of her nearly braindead mind kept her from understanding fully the words being spoken. _Anything, I just want to keep living._

"Very well, and keep on living you shall,"

Her consciousness was nearly gone by the time a hand grabbed her frozen lifeless one, and she could not feel herself move through the water at a much quicker pace. _I'm glad that weird dream is over_.


End file.
